Force Heritage: A Prelude To the Kenobi Way
by Lionchilde
Summary: Part of my Obidala AU ONE PATH.  Post Clone Wars Era.  When Obi Wan and Padme leave to rendezvous with a contact from Alderaan, will the children be safe? Please see the story notes for details. Lead in to the sequel series THE KENOBI WAY.
1. Chapter 1

**_Force Heritage: A Prelude To The Kenobi Way_** is part of my _One Path _universe. It takes place during the Kenobi Family's exile on Tatooine after the Clone Wars. I am considering it to be a lead in to One Path's upcoming sequel series called _The Kenobi Way. _It fills in some gaps during the family's exile that we couldn't cover adequately in One Path, and it will set the stage for events in _The Kenobi Way Book 1: The Path of Peace_ when members of the family return to Tatooine.

_Force Heritage_ tells the story of how Anakin Kenobi became a Jedi Knight and deals largely with the relationship between Ani and Luke. The character of A'sharad Hett, whom the brothers meet over the course of the story, is _based upon_ but not identical to the comic character created by Timothy Truman.

Events in _ Force Heritage_ are not meant to mirror or closely follow events from the EU. We acknowledge and give credit to the comic writers who created the character who inspired our A'sharad, but the life experiences of the two characters are somewhat different. As such, motivations and behaviors may be completely unlike what was depicted in the comics.

* * *

The twin suns were sinking past the desert horizon. As they went, they stained the sky and the sand below it with rich hues of red and purple. Seventeen-year-old Anakin Kenobi still did not like watching sunsets, but he made himself stand atop the dune as an exercise in facing his feelings. Behind him, Obi Wan and Luke were practicing with lightsabers. The clash and hum of the weapons dug deep into Ani's brain, adding force and immediacy to the memories that the setting suns evoked.

He wanted to shut out the noise. Using the Force to block or dull his physical senses was not particularly difficult. However, to do so for no other reason than his own peace of mind felt uncomfortably close to the Dark Side. Those sounds were the unwelcome score to all his nightmares, and yet he knew that they would always be part of his life. Just like red skies. Red blades. Red rivers swallowing the heroes of his childhood. As much as he wanted to run from these things, he stood impassively, kept his breathing even with effort of will, and held his body still until the sparring session ended.

Then he listened as Obi Wan praised Luke for his performance and walked back inside the old hermitage to stow the lightsaber that had once belonged to Anakin Skywalker. Luke shuffled wearily up the dune to stand beside Ani. The older boy waited without turning, but when the sand-covered twelve-year-old reached his side, he smiled. Letting his right hand drift up from his side, he rested it on Luke's shoulder.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Luke told him with a frown.

"Put my hand on your shoulder?" Ani asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

"No, stand here and stare at the suns. I know you don't like it," said Luke.

Ani's smile tightened a little, but he modulated his voice so that it only conveyed mild distaste as he replied, "You can't always avoid what you don't like. Sunsets are everywhere. I might as well learn to look at them."

"You've been doing that my whole life. If you were gonna get used them, you'd have done it by now," Luke sighed.

"Maybe so," admitted Ani. "But that doesn't mean I should stop trying."

"If you say so, Ani," Luke gave another sigh, disapproval mingling with resignation in his voice. He knew that nothing he said could dissuade his brother from the practice of watching sunsets when Ani clearly didn't enjoy them, but he made no bones about his opinion on the matter.

"Thanks," murmured Ani.

"Uh-huh," Luke nodded. Then he half-turned to peer toward the old, weather-beaten house where their father had disappeared. "Dad! You're gonna miss your contact!"

Ani let out a quiet snort of amusement.

"What?" Luke glanced back at him.

"You don't care about his contact from Alderaan," Ani shook his head. "You're still hoping he'll let you come into Mos Eisley with him."

Luke's mouth curved upward in an unrepentant grin. Ani tried to stare back at him with a stoic expression that he felt would be worthy of a Jedi apprentice, but Luke's smile didn't waver for an instant. Finally, the older brother's resolve cracked and both of them began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" asked Obi Wan as he ducked through the doorway and joined them in the desert.

Luke pressed his lips together, concentrating very hard on the need to stop laughing. Ani cleared his throat and glanced at their booted feet, needing only a few seconds before he could meet Obi Wan's gaze. Obi Wan arched an eyebrow gently.

"Nothing, sir," was Ani's calm reply.

"Right…" nodded Obi Wan. He eyed them both for a few seconds, blew out a soft sigh, and then waved them toward the waiting speeder. "Come on, then. Luke's right. I'll be late."

He walked off without further comment, and the two boys followed him to the vehicle. Both of them avoided eye contact and spent most of their time staring at their feet so that they didn't risk an unexplainable fit of laughter. Ani let Luke take the front passenger seat and climbed into the rear of the vehicle where he could think.

It was unlikely that Obi Wan would allow either of them to go into the spaceport with him, but if anyone could find a way to charm—or whine—the older Jedi into letting him tag along, it would be Luke. Even Uncle Owen wasn't _entirely_ immune to the effects of the younger Kenobi brother's impish smile, and Obi Wan was a much softer touch than the grizzled moisture farmer who had given them refuge from the Emperor's Jedi hunters. Luke had already managed to improve Ani's mood this evening, and he hadn't even been _trying_ to do that.

He didn't see any harm in letting Luke go along, either. Granted, he wasn't the most disciplined student, but he _was_ learning the ways of the Force, and he would be going to meet one of Bail Organa's men, not a smuggler or someone from the Empire. Sooner or later, he was going to find his way into a spaceport, and it might be better if his first experience in a place like that was with Obi Wan instead of with his friends.

"Are you sure you don't want Ani and me to come along, Dad?" Luke ventured after a minute or two.

"No," said Obi Wan flatly.

"You're not sure…?" even Luke's tone was surprised.

"No, you can't go," Obi Wan corrected.

The boy sighed. "Come on Dad…"

"I'm taking you and Ani home first," insisted their father.

Luke slouched in his seat and planted his chin on his hand without replying. He stared out the windscreen for a while, but Ani knew he wouldn't give up that easily. A few more minutes passed with no noise except the drone of the speeder's engine, and finally Luke came up with an angle for his next attempt.

"You know, Dad, you could just take me with you if you don't want to take Ani," he suggested.

Ani covered his face with his hand.

"How does that make sense?" asked Obi Wan incredulously.

"What?" Luke tilted his head to one side.

"Luke," began their father with admirable patience, "If I don't think it's a good idea to take you _and_ your older brother, why would I take _just_ you?"

"I'm a lot smaller than Ani," explained Luke. "I'm less conspicuous."

"He's got a point there, Dad," Ani piped up.

Obi Wan shot a quick glance toward the back seat. The expression on his face was a curious mix of disbelief and resignation. Ani frowned a little, not sure what to make of that.

"Don't you start too, Anakin," Obi Wan told him.

Ani blinked back in feigned innocence. The expression was lost on his father, who had already returned his attention to the desert road in front of them. Since they were still driving toward the Lars homestead, he assumed that Obi Wan was less than convinced.

"What happens if you run into trouble?" asked Luke.

"I'll run out of it again," replied Obi Wan easily.

"It'd be easier if you had somebody backing you up," Luke pointed out.

"I'm not expecting any trouble," Obi Wan assured him.

"But you always say we should be prepared to meet it even if we don't expect it," Luke reminded him.

"Well, don't you think I'd have taken my own advice and gotten prepared already?" asked Obi Wan.

"I _would have thought so_, yeah," nodded Luke.

"_Would have,"_ Obi Wan echoed.

"Well, come on, Dad, here you are turning down help from your own students! How prepared can you possibly be?" Luke reasoned.

"The logic of this argument escapes me," Obi Wan declared, shaking his head.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"Never mind," Obi Wan told him dryly.

Thus it went. All the way back to the farm, Luke attempted to convince Obi Wan that it was vitally important for him to go to Mos Eisley. Ani chimed in with supporting commentary from time to time, but he knew that if he tried to lay it on too thick, their father would end up being annoyed, and that would ruin Luke's chances of going all together. There were just some things a twelve-year-old boy could get away with that his nearly grown brother couldn't.

Then again, there were a whole lot of things Luke could pull off with their parents that Ani would never even have tried. Some of that was simply due to the differences in their respective ages. The boys and their sister—who had been away on Alderaan for the last four years—shared the same birthday, but the twins had been born five years after Ani. That was just enough of an age gap for their parents to work out all their disciplinary strategies on Ani so that, by virtue of trial and error, Luke and Leia got all their permissive leanings. At least, that was Ani's theory on the subject. Padme and Obi Wan had never been harsh with him, but he had observed that their standards seemed to be slightly more elastic for Luke.

In this case, though, Obi Wan never gave in. Ani guessed that even elastic standards could only be stretched so far. He was a little surprised that their father remained so staunchly determined that neither of the boys could go with him. When they'd left Alderaan eleven years before, Bail Organa had arranged for an annual meeting between Obi Wan or Padme and a representative of the fledgling organization that was then being called The Alliance to Restore The Republic.

Even now, when it was being referred to in some quarters as The Rebel Alliance, Ani had no sense of increased worry or impending danger from his father. His particular gift in the Force was empathy, and while he was not yet officially a Jedi Knight, his senses were sharp and well-attuned to Obi Wan. If there had been a legitimate reason for Luke not to go, he thought he should have picked up on it.

They reached the homestead's south range, where the Kenobis had made their home since Padme had found the tiny house in the Jundland Wastes unsuited for more than a place they could train future Jedi away from prying eyes. It was full dark, but to his surprise, the house shields weren't up yet. As they pulled into the courtyard, though, he understood why.

Their mother stood waiting for them dressed in a thick gray peasant's cloak. Her hood was drawn up against the chill of the desert night, and she carried a small bundle against her chest. She hurried over to the speeder as Ani and Luke scrambled out and passed whatever it was to their father, who casually turned to place it in the back.

"We'd better hurry!" she told Obi Wan. "We're going to…"

"Miss our contact. Yes, I've been told already," he said ironically.

"Wait a minute!" Luke cried. "_Mom's_ going?"

Padme frowned with a mixture of amusement and surprise. "Why shouldn't I go, son?"

"Because…uh…" stammered Luke.

"Nevermind, kid," Ani patted his shoulder.

In the light of the speeder's high beams, Ani could see their mother's frown deepen, but Obi Wan chuckled, "Darling, we _are_ going to be late."

"All right, Obi Wan," she nodded. Then she leaned down to press her lips against Luke's cheek. "We'll be back in the morning. Stay in the house and listen to your brother. Ani, if we're late getting back…"

"I know, Mom. There are still chores to be done and Uncle Owen won't brook with any loafers," Ani said, his lips twitching in amusement.

Padme smiled back and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. Then she hurried to the speeder and climbed into the seat Luke had recently vacated. The two brothers stood watching their parents disappear into the desert night. After a minute, Luke tilted his head up at Ani.

"Why didn't he just _say_ Mom was going?" he asked.

"Kid, sometimes with them, even when you have an answer it doesn't make sense," Ani shook his head. "Come on. We'd better get the shields up. There are Raiders all over the place."


	2. Chapter 2

A small note to anyone who read chapter 1 earlier this week. I noticed a mistake that I should have picked up before posting. I'm not quite sure how I did it-I think it's related to the fact that I have another story with a boy about the age Luke is in this story. Anyway, One Path establishes that the twins are five years younger than little Ani. I knew that and even made a passing reference to the shared birthday in chapter 1. Yet, I wrote the entire chapter saying that Luke was 11 when he should logically have turned 12 already. The references have been edited, but I wanted to address it to readers in case anyone is confused later and wonders how Luke went from 11 to 12 in the story without appearing to have celebrated a birthday. .

* * *

Padme listened with a mixture of amusement and mild disapproval as her husband recounted the way he had strung their boys along, allowing them to believe they might be able to convince him to take one or both to Mos Eisley with him. Luke's dogged persistence especially made her laugh. She loved all her children equally, but Luke had a playful charm that reminded her very much of Anakin Skywalker. Leia and Ani were both very serious. Ani had his father's quietly ironic sense of humor, which could surface suddenly and then dart away so quickly that it left people wondering if they had _really_ heard the solemn teenager crack a joke. She couldn't be completely sure what Leia was like anymore, since she hadn't seen her daughter in almost four years. Before she left for Alderaan, Leia had been a handful. She was strong-willed and stubborn—a lot like Padme herself—but she had a firey temper where Padme usually remained calm and clear-headed. Even at eight years old, the little girl had displayed a sharp sarcastic wit, and she had loved to tease her twin brother. Luke was usually calm and fun-loving. Although he could he could tease his sister right back, he rarely got upset, and if he did, he tended to whine rather than shout the way Leia did. He was the only one of her children who would've tried to wheedle Obi Wan that way, and his lighthearted nature always lifted her spirits.

"Why didn't you just tell them that I'd decided to go with you before you left this afternoon?" she asked her husband now, still laughing softly.

He shrugged and gave her a half-smile, explaining, "Well, they seemed to be enjoying themselves so much I didn't want to spoil it by telling them I already had the best partner I could ask for going along."

Padme felt her cheeks redden, and she lifted one hand to touch her face. Her smile became just a touch shy as she murmured, "Thank you, Obi Wan."

"You're welcome," he smiled back.

"It probably wouldn't have done much good for you to tell them I was coming anyway," she remarked.

"Why not?" he asked, glancing at her in surprise.

"Because then they would have just decided that they needed to come along and keep me safe," she explained.

"You have a point," Obi Wan admitted wryly.

"Well," Padme shrugged, her smile widening into a grin, "You certainly can't fault their intentions."

"No, I can't," agreed Obi Wan. "Especially not after all the times I asked Ani to watch over you during the Clone Wars. I think he just takes it as his job to protect you now. And Luke…"

Obi Wan let the sentence trail off, and she could hear a note of concern beneath the fondness in his tone. Luke was a very open and earnest boy, much more demonstrative of his feelings than Ani had been at his age. Obi Wan always struggled with that because he had been trained from early childhood to resist attachments and strong emotions. Luke respected and loved both of his parents, but he was outwardly closer to Padme, much as Anakin Skywalker had been with his mother, Shmi.

He had other traits that reminded her of Anakin as well. His tendency to be reckless worried her as she knew it did Obi Wan, but she chose not to dwell on that. He was young, and with the guidance of both parents and an older sibling like Ani, he was sure to outgrow his impetuousness. He had the same kind and generous nature that Anakin had always possessed. Obi Wan often said that Luke came by those qualities from the Naberrie side of the family, and if Padme thought about it, she had to agree. Luke also reminded her of her father, Ruwee and her young niece, Pooja. Privately, she was sure that Obi Wan was also reminded of his old friend and former Padawan, but she never pressed the issue with him.

Anakin's memory was still too painful for him. Sometimes, when he watched their two sons together, he would go very still and a haunted shadow would fall across his face. Obi Wan and Anakin's relationship had always been complex. When Anakin was young, Obi Wan had been the only real father figure he knew. As both of them grew and matured, they became more like brothers, although there were plenty of times when Obi Wan still took a parental role. There were tensions as well, especially after Obi Wan left the Jedi Order to marry Padme, but in retrospect she believed that those problems would never have become so entrenched if Palpatine had not been manipulating Anakin and trying to set them against each other. They had loved each other deeply—so deeply in fact that Obi Wan had chosen to name his first child Anakin. Whatever differences they had, they were bound together with the respect and loyalty of people who had spent years training, travelling, and facing danger together for a common cause. At least, they had been before the Republic fell—before Mustafar.

Obi Wan couldn't say it, but he still loved Anakin. At night, when farm chores were done and the family gathered in the privacy of their home, where whispers of such things couldn't carry back to the Emperor, he and Padme made sure that their children remembered the Republic and the Jedi Knights who had served it so long and faithfully. Padme taught them about the importance of democracy and respect for all beings, hoping to guard their minds against the humanocentric imperialist doctrines that now pervaded the galaxy. She told them of her old colleagues in the Galactic Senate, Mon Mothma, Garm Bel Iblis, and Bail Organa, who had worked tirelessly to save the Republic from within but were now quietly—or not so quietly—building opposition to Palpatine's regime. Obi Wan told them stories of his youth as Qui-Gon Jinn's apprentice and then of his years as Jedi Knight with Anakin Skywalker at his side. He was a modest man, and he didn't like to emphasize his own skills and contributions, so Anakin often appeared larger than life to them.

Ani was the only one who had ever _known_ the man their father's stories called _Uncle Anakin_. He had idolized both Anakin and Obi Wan as a boy, so he certainly didn't mind having Anakin's bravery and prowess as a Jedi extolled, but he tried to supplement Obi Wan's versions of events with what he _thought_ was a more balanced depiction of the famed Jedi Generals. The result was that the children—especially Luke and Leia—had a highly romanticized picture of what their father and uncle had been like during the Clone Wars.

Fortunately, anything that put Obi Wan in a central role also strongly emphasized the notion that fighting was only ever to be regarded as a last resort. So Padme didn't worry too much that the kids would start to think of violence as acceptable. When the twins were younger, she had been a little concerned that their enthusiasm for "Kenobi & Skywalker" stories would cause trouble if they forgot and told the stories to their friends, but Obi Wan was convinced that it was important for them to know about their heritage as the last of the Jedi Order.

In the end there had never been a problem. Luke and Leia seemed to sense how vital it was that anything related to the Jedi or the Old Republic remain strictly within their family. Luke and his friends all talked about joining the Imperial Academy as pilots, but Jedi were not highly regarded in the Empire, so even if he would have been inclined to brag about having a team of famous fighter pilots in his family, he was less inclined to say things that would connect his dad to a Jedi Master.

Even so, he would have been proud to hear that he reminded anyone of "Uncle Anakin." Padme hoped that someday Obi Wan would be able to acknowledge those similarities without viewing them as ominous portents of their child's future. For the moment, she knew that it was best to keep her observations to herself. She had never even mentioned how telling she found it that Obi Wan never thought twice about using phrases like "your uncle" when he spoke of Anakin to his children.

He hadn't told them about Mustafar, of course. The twins had been told that Anakin died saving their brother's life. They knew that something terrible had happened to little Ani the night the Jedi Temple fell; they knew that the Temple siege had something to do with why Ani averred sunsets, and someday soon they would have to learn the whole truth. Yet Padme understood why Obi Wan was so reluctant to tell them.

She still remembered Ani's quiet, plaintive statement on the night that the twins were born. He had been watching the sunset then, already determined to face his fears according to the teachings of the Jedi that he wanted to emulate. Padme had found him on a balcony at the Royal Palace on Alderaan where they were in hiding.

_ "Anakin?" she asked softly, hesitant to disturb him although she could sense that he was already troubled and upset._

_The little boy turned toward the sound of his name and offered her a faint smile._

_Padme moved out of the shadows and rested a hand on his shoulder, asking, "What are you doing out here, son?"_

_"Watching the sunset," Ani shrugged._

_Padme pushed back her hood and smiled, moving her index finger to stroke his cheek, murmuring, "You don't have to, you know."_

_He rested his cheek against the swell of her pregnancy and hugged her as far as his arms would go, then replied, "Yes, I do, Mom. I'm a Jedi."_

_She felt her throat tighten at the statement. She hadn't wanted her son to become a Jedi Knight, although at the time, her objections had been based on the reality that in order to become one, he would have to be sent to the Jedi Temple. Now there __was_ no temple, and no Jedi Order other than Obi Wan, Yoda, and this little boy. She knew that there was no way to prevent him from following the Jedi path now, but while she had never objected to Ani learning the ways of the Force, she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and carry him away from all of this—someplace where there was no war, no Sith Emperor bent on eradicating all traces of the Jedi Order.

_Instead, she forced her fingers to brush lightly through his hair. Her voice was steady and her tone was genuinely proud as she agreed, "Like your father before you."_

_"Luke and Leia will be, too. I saw them," he said._

_"Did you have another dream?" she asked, referring to the Force-visions that both of them had from time to time._

_He nodded, explaining, "I saw Anakin, too. Anakin and Obi-Wan. They're going to be brothers."_

_Now Padme wrapped her arms around him, hugging him with all her strength, telling him, "I know you miss your uncle, Ani. It's all right to miss him. Letting go doesn't have to mean you don't miss someone. It just—means that you accept what you can't change."_

_"Nobody will remember him," he sighed sadly. "Nobody will remember that he saved me."_

_Padme didn't speak for several heartbeats. Then she murmured quietly, "I'll remember, Ani."_

She had kept that promise, and so had Obi Wan in his own way. He wanted to make sure that the twins knew and understood who Anakin Skywalker had been before he burdened them with the truth about Darth Vader. Knowing that, she slipped her hand across the worn seat of the family speeder and squeezed his fingers, as she reminded him of something he'd told her long ago.

"Obi Wan. No matter what happens tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or five years from now, you and I will be together. And as long as we are together, we have nothing to fear."


	3. Chapter 3

Luke followed his brother inside and leaned against the wall while Ani turned on the house shields. He smiled a little, proudly, as Anakin's eyes scanned the readouts on the shield generator. The Tusken Raiders had murdered three farm families recently, and they had been getting closer and closer to the Lars homestead. At lunch a few days ago, Obi Wan and Uncle Owen started talking about modifying the shields for both of their homes. The problem was that they could never agree quickly unless there was an immediate threat. So while the Obi Wan debated and Owen tried to bicker, Ani quietly caught Luke's eye, and the two brothers slipped out of the Lars' kitchen. Uncle Owen came looking eventually, grumbling about work to be done and slacking off, but by then, they were finished, and the shield output had been increased by 37%. Luke was surprised that he actually complimented them when he realized what they'd been up to. Ani didn't seem to be, but then again, Uncle Owen liked him better, so maybe he was just used to hearing compliments.

"Output's holding," Ani announced as he finished and turned toward Luke.

"Ani, why do you think the Tuskens are being so bold lately?" Luke asked.

Ani's brow knit in consideration of the question, but he didn't answer right away. Instead, he drifted past Luke and ducked through the low doorway behind him, heading for the living room. Luke tagged after and managed to wait patiently for all of two minutes. His brother very rarely answered a serious question without thinking first, but once he had lowered himself onto the couch and sat there pondering instead of talking, Luke began to fidget. Ani glanced at him, then templed his fingers in front of his lips and thought some more.

"You're doing that on purpose!" Luke exclaimed.

Ani blinked at him.

"You're imitating dad because you want me to be more patient. It's like a Jedi lesson or something," sighed Luke fondly.

Ani maintained a stoic expression for about five seconds. Luke raised his eyebrows, staring back at him. Finally, Ani ducked his head and a faint snort of laughter escaped his nostrils.

"I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head. "I shouldn't tease you."

"I'm used to it," Luke laughed along.

Ani sobered quickly, though. His demeanor shifted, and Luke made the troubled realization that he was talking to a Jedi. Where he had been consciously mimicking Obi Wan a moment before, now Ani was just being like their father because soon he wouldn't be an apprentice anymore. Ani had always sort of helped Obi Wan teach Luke—and Leia before she left for Alderaan—so in one sense, he was accustomed to his older brother acting in the role of a mentor or an instructor. Even so, all three of the Kenobi children had still been students in the Jedi Arts. More and more lately, Luke was confronted with the fact that his brother was no longer really a Padawan learner.

It was an odd feeling. Not quite scary, but definitely not comfortable. He couldn't even fully explain why he felt that Ani wasn't the same as he was anymore. Obi Wan had told them a little bit about how things used to work in the Jedi Order. A Padawan had to pass Trials of Knighthood, and Ani wasn't old enough for that yet—at least, he wouldn't have been back at the academy on Coruscant. Even if those rules didn't apply anymore, Luke wasn't sure what had changed. He was certain that their father or Qui-Gon Jinn, the mysterious Jedi Spirit who had once taught Obi Wan and with whom Ani had some sort of ongoing communication, would have to say that Ani was a Jedi Knight before it actually happened. Something was different, though.  
He felt as if Ani was leaving him behind. He'd experienced that before, when Leia went to Alderaan, but at least in that instance, he had chosen to stay behind. He'd known all along that his sister was coming back. He couldn't go where Ani was going. He didn't even know what it looked like, except when he saw it in their father. Of course, Ani had no more choice than he did, but that didn't make things any less spooky.

Ani was watching him. He had to fight the urge to jump. Once he might have just started talking—quietly, seriously, but casually, the way that two friends talked. Now he seemed to know that Luke was wrestling with something in his head, and so he waited silently, relying on the Force in some subtle way that Luke couldn't discern. He wondered if he would become like that someday, and if he did, how long would it take? What would his brother be like by then? Would they ever catch up to each other again?

Sighing internally, he tried to put the questions out of his mind. He had no way to answer them, and he wasn't sure the answers mattered anyway. Obi Wan was a Jedi, and he loved their mother. She loved him. Whatever happened, wherever they went, nothing could change what Ani, Luke, and Leia were to each other. That was the most important thing. Right?

Ani smiled a little bit.

"Are you reading my mind, Anakin?" Luke asked.

"No," Ani shook his head. "I can sense your feelings, that's all. Same as you can if you think about it."

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to…" Luke trailed off, not even sure how to articulate _what_ he hadn't meant to do.

Ani's smile widened in a gesture of reassurance, and he said, "It's okay. You're right. On both counts. And you will more than catch up."

"What does that mean?" Luke frowned.

"You're meant to be your own person, Luke. Me, you, and Leia…our futures may be linked, but we each have our own paths to walk. In some ways, the two of you will surpass me," said Ani.

"That's crazy," Luke waved his hand.

Ani only shook his head and sighed, "All right. To answer your question about the Tusken Raiders, I think they believe that this area is theirs. It's their home, the same way it's ours, and they've lost a lot of their territory in the past decade or so. Now they've decided they want it back."

"Why now?" probed Luke. "What's different?"

"That's a good question," Ani told him. "I don't really know. Maybe it's political."

"Political?" Luke repeated skeptically.

"Remember what Mom taught us about the way the Galactic Senate used to work? Electoral terms would expire, people would be voted in or out of office, and the balance of power would shift. Policies gained or lost support. So if enough people want to start trouble, then trouble starts," said Ani softly.

"But the Sand People don't have a senate," Luke objected. "They have tribes or something."

"They may not have a senate, but every people has some form of governance, Luke. If enough of their clan leaders decided that it was time to start taking their lands back, then it wouldn't be hard for them band together against the settlers who they believe stole the territory in the first place," Ani speculated.

"So they _want_ a war?" Luke's eyes widened at the notion. He knew that there were whispers about war with the Empire—civil war—but nobody he knew thought it was a good thing. Even his parents, who were secretly training their children to oppose the Empire, made it very clear that war was never to be sought after and bloodshed was to avoided whenever possible.

"It's possible," nodded Ani. "It's also possible that they believe they have no choice."

"How can they _have no choice?_" scoffed Luke.

"Maybe the same way that Mom felt she had no choice when the Trade Federation invaded Naboo," Ani suggested.

"That's completely different," Luke shook his head.

"How?" his brother asked in a tone that was more curious than contentious.

"All the Sand People have to do is stop raiding places and hurting people, and everybody would leave them alone," Luke declared.

"Really?" Ani arched an eyebrow skeptically.

"Yes!" Luke nodded vehemently.

"New settlers come every year," Ani pointed out. "Maybe not many by our standards, but they do come. Homesteaders claim more land. Moisture farmers extend their ranges…"

"Ani, you sound like you think they're right to hurt people…!" Luke stared at his brother in shock.

"Of course not," Ani replied adamantly. "I'm just saying that maybe from their point of view, we're the ones pressing them into a corner."

"Well, there has to be some better way," Luke frowned thoughtfully.

"I agree. What would you do?" Ani asked.

"If I was a Tusken Raider?" Luke blinked.

"If strangers came and took our house and tried to keep us from going out to the old place in the Wastes," posited Ani.

"I would fight them and take our home back. It's ours—" Luke's eyes widened. "Oh…"

Ani nodded gravely.

Luke frowned again, more deeply this time. He considered the implications of what he had just said for several moments, and for the first time, he began to realize why his older brother sometimes took so long to answer a question. He blew out a breath.

"So, are you saying that's it then? There's nothing you can do except fight?" he asked, confused. Their father said that there were always alternatives to fighting.  
Ani shook his head slowly, replying, "No, Luke. I'm saying that many people only get as far as the gut reaction you just had. _It's my home. You can't take it away. I'll stop you._."

"It's our home too, though. I mean—not just _us_. Everybody. The farmers and the settlers and the people in Anchorhead. We've all lived here for years too. Uncle Owen's family goes generations back on Tatooine," Luke said.

"Exactly," replied Ani. "I don't think either group has more right to live here than the other, but the problem is complicated, and everyone's been fighting so long that very few people ever question why."

"Uncle Owen says the Sand People aren't people. Just mindless monsters," Luke said quietly. He wasn't agreeing, but most of the people he knew thought that way. It was hard for him to accept that the Sand People were anything more than Owen gave them credit for. No matter how much the grizzled old farmer griped and complained, he was a smart man and he knew more about life on Tatooine than anybody else Luke had ever met. If Uncle Owen said the sky would rain hubba gourds, it would rain them.

"Uncle Owen's suffered a great deal because of the Tusken Raiders. They still threaten his home and his family," Ani replied carefully. Luke could see how difficult it was for him to suggest that Owen might be wrong.

He heaved a long sigh and nodded. He knew the story about Uncle Owen's father, Cliegg and Shmi Skywalker. That would've been enough to make Luke hate them too, even though he knew he wasn't really supposed to hate anybody.

"Do you think it will ever change?" he asked his brother softly.

"I don't know. I hope so," Ani said.

"Maybe Mom and Dad can do something," Luke suggested.

Ani tilted his head questioningly.

"Well, they used to negotiate treaties and stuff in the Republic, right? If the two of them were working on it, maybe something really would change," ventured Luke hopefully.

Ani pressed his lips together and hung his head. Luke bit his lip nervously, wondering if he'd said something wrong. Ani looked up again after a few seconds and reached out to grasp Luke's arm.

"Obi Wan and Padme Kenobi used to negotiate treaties in the Republic, Luke. Lila and Ben Kenobi are just desert people. The Lars' in-laws, remember?" he said in a voice that was at once sad and intent.

"Oh," Luke groaned. "Right."

"Why don't you go and take a shower, kid," Ani told him, releasing his arm.

Nodding, Luke pushed himself away from the wall where he was standing and ducked into the hall. He knew why Ani was worried. Anonymity was important to the Kenobis. Somewhere, the Emperor's Jedi hunters were still looking for Obi Wan. Their parents couldn't do anything that might connect Lila and Ben to the famous Kenobis from the Clone Wars. Even on the Outer Rim, a slip in the wrong company could have deadly consequences.  
Still. There had to be a better way. There had to be something they could do other than hiding behind shields every night and waiting for the Tusken Raiders to raid the farm. There had to be an answer.

* * *

A note to the readers of my SW fics: I haven't forgotten about you! My migraines have been very severe this year, and time crunches are limiting my fic-writing time. There will be more in the future. PLEASE CHECK MY PROFILE PAGE before posting or PMing "when are you going to update?" types of questions.


	4. Chapter 4

Yes, I am back. This is a real update. Your eyes are not deceiving you.

After two long years, I am finally on the track to better health. My migraine headaches are more controlled for the time being, and I will be able to have health insurance starting in October, so hopefully things will continue to improve with my other stuff.

I am not going to be able to update as frequently as I used to-I'm wearing wrist braces on both arms and have to be careful of how much I type. This chapter took about a month to finish and another couple of weeks to get beta'd. So you can probably expect updates every six weeks or so. No more chapters every week like I did with _One Path._

I've been out of fandom so long I'm not sure who's still active. I'm looking for a few people familiar with _One Path_ to act as pre-publication readers. Basically, you get the chapters a week in advance of anyone else in exchange for answering a few questions and generally telling me what you think. You don't _have _to do detailed beta edits, but I'd be thrilled if one or two people might volunteer for that.

**A general note about my Star Wars writing and the _One Path _universe.**

My creative partner for this universe/storyline has left livejournal and pared back her involvements in fandom due to other commitments and needs in her life. She's still involved but may not be able to contribute as much to the content of the stories. I'm not as familiar with the EU as she is (and don't like a lot of it) so I'm changing my approach to this story and future content in this 'verse. Since we're not covering the film saga and this is an alternate universe storyline, I'm going to have details that may not match the EU. I don't have the time or interest to research every EU character and plotline. Apologies to anyone who is a fan of the EU; you're just not going to find much of it in my verse. I'll be including a handful of characters who've already been mentioned in _One Path _(like Mara Jade and Talon Karrde) but in other cases, the characters' backgrounds may be pretty different or they just won't appear.

**Now_ on to notes regarding this story specific chapter._**

**1. **It's been a few years since I wrote in this verse, so if you notice any drastic changes in my writing style, that's why. I'm doing my best to keep it consistent.  
**2.** We briefly mention in _One Path _that the Kenobi family built a house on the Lars' property. The house is _not _underground the way the main homestead living space is. The Kenobis and the Lars' didn't have the resources to do that. Most of what I write about the layout of the farm and how it's set up are conjecture based on a few references from the films, what little I could find on Wookiepedia and things I've picked up from reading about desert ecology in Frank Herbert's _Dune _novels. I have no idea if the EU ever explains moisture farming in detail, so I'm making stuff up and doing my best to make sure it's plausible.  
**3. **What the boys do in this chapter is based on a combination of _Dune_ elements and a Force technique I once read about in an early EU novel. Extra points if you spot the refs.

**Before anyone asks: I'm sorry, I don't know when I'll be getting back to _Land and Sky _or my Stargate stories. I WILL. I promise. Thanks for your continued patience.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Ani watched as Luke slipped off into the 'fresher. The door slid closed, and Ani turned away. He closed his eyes and tried to turn the problem of the Tuskens over in his mind. Luke was right. There had to be another way. It seemed wrong to him to just leave things alone and let people continue to get killed on both sides.

_What can I do?_ he asked himself.

If Obi Wan and Padme couldn't mediate for the Tuskens and the settlers, he certainly couldn't—or could he? He didn't have either of his parents' skill or experience, but maybe that would help. Nobody would connect old Ben Kenobi's son with a famous negotiator from the Clone Wars. Then again, would anyone _listen_ either?

They were all so angry. How could he get them to stop shouting long enough? He thought for another couple of minutes, then got up and walked into his parents' bedroom. There wasn't much in there. Just a low bed, a couple of end-tables, a chest of drawers and a small writing desk in the corner. There was a patchwork blanket on the end of the bed. Aunt Beru had given it to the Kenobis when they first came to the desert. The nights were cold here, and the young family hadn't brought much with them from Alderaan. They didn't want to raise suspicions about where they'd come from and why.

Somewhere in here, Padme kept old holorecordings and reports from the senate. Ani knew that she had them because she'd used them in some of the children's lessons. She and Bail Organa had both thought it was important to make sure the children knew as much about what had really happened during the Clone Wars as possible. Everything available on the holonet now was censored—more Imperial propaganda than history.

He thought there might have been something in there that could help him. There had to be mention somewhere of negotiations like this. The Separatists had certainly believed themselves justified in trying to cede from the Old Republic. There was a different argument there, but the problem couldn't—

_Danger!_

A surge in the force—hot and powerful, full of aggression. It was too strong, too controlled to be Tuskens. There were others with it, less disciplined, just flares of anger and bloodthirst. Ani followed the current, felt it moving toward them, building momentum and getting hotter as it came on. He ran out of his parents' room, glanced at the 'fresher door, and kept moving.

Uncle Owen had insisted that he keep a blaster rifle in his bedroom. Obi Wan never liked it, but Ani was a farmer and he had to know how to use one. He had Qui-Gon's lightsaber, but as soon as he used it, the Kenobis' cover would be blown. He hoped it wouldn't come to that. He pulled the rifle down off the wall and checked the power pack with a practiced motion and a sweep of his eyes. Then he moved to station himself in the living room, between Luke and whatever was outside.

"Ani?"

"Stay in there!"

"What is it?" asked Luke. The door to the 'fresher slid open again and Luke's footsteps raced through the short hallway to the living room.

"Anakin, what are you doing with a _blaster?_."

"I told you to stay in there!"

"What are you doing with that?" Luke repeated.

He was standing in the doorway, bare-chested and with nothing on his feet. He hadn't finished his shower, just jumped back out and pulled his pants on. His hair was sticking up, and his eyes were as big around as a couple of melons. Ani would've laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious.

"There's someone outside," he said.

"I know. It's just the Sand People…isn't it?"

Ani shook his head.

Luke moved to crouch by the window with his brother. The younger boy's skin had gone white, and the fine hairs all over his body were standing up. He looked at the door, then at Ani.

"Is it…Jedi hunters?"

"Someone who knows the Ways of the Force," Ani said. "I can't tell."

"Do you think they have Mom and Dad…?"

Ani rested a hand lightly on Luke's arm and shook his head. "Mos Eisley's the other way."

"Then it can't be Jedi hunters. They'd have to come from the spaceport," Luke said.

"I don't know who it is, Luke. I don't know if the shields will hold against Imperial blasters. They're not as powerful as the ones at Uncle Owen's. He's got all the equipment and the vehicles over there and no ridge to hide the dome, so he needs better ones. We may have to fight. Listen, if we get separated, remember what Dad told us. Try to make it to Alderaan. We'll meet there."

"We're not going to…all right, Ani."

Ani wanted to tell his brother that it would be okay, but he couldn't. What if it wasn't okay? Luke would never forgive him for something like that—or if Luke would, Ani still didn't know if he could forgive himself. Since there was nothing else he could say, he focused his attention on the presence outside.

It wasn't Vader. He was sure of that, and he was sure that there was only one being with Force training. The other presences were too erratic and undisciplined. Could a Jedi hunter have brought stormtroopers along? No…stormtroopers didn't feel like that. Their feelings were rigorously controlled, cold, their minds rigid and tight with military discipline.

The wave of anger and hostility moved closer. It was huge—an _army?_ The house shields definitely wouldn't withstand that—but it couldn't be. The Emperor wouldn't send an army for the Kenobis. He gestured for Luke to go and get dressed. If they had to run, he didn't want his brother to be out in the desert with barely anything on. Luke obeyed, and while he was gone, Ani decided it would be a good idea to move the couch. He pushed into the doorway between the kitchen and living room. A barricade would have been better, but the intruders were coming on fast. At least this way it would be another obstacle between them and the boys.

Luke returned with Ani's travel cloak in his hand and took the rifle while Ani pulled the cloak over his head. When Ani was dressed, the boys checked all the windows and then positioned themselves to wait.

Ani made sure that he stayed between the door and his brother. Luke fidgeted at first, then he tried to move closer, but Ani shook his head. If anyone got through the shields and came in, he wanted clearance between himself and Luke—enough time for Luke to run.

"Stay—there," he whispered.

The intruders kept coming, and the sounds of their feet and their battle cries reached the little house. Ani knew those sounds. He frowned. Then he blinked, and his eyebrows rose.

"You were right," he said. "It is the Sand People."

"But there's someone else?" Luke asked. He pressed his lips together in concentration and then tilted his head. "Ani, I think there's a man with them."

Ani opened himself wider to the force, tested the presences around them, and searched his own feelings. After a few moments, he gave a slow nod.  
"You're right, I think. And…I don't think they're coming for us. I don't think they're stopping."

"What do you mean? If it's not us…?" Luke's questioned trailed off, and both brothers looked meaningfully toward the window on the north side of the living room.

"They don't know there's a house here," Ani explained. His heart began to pound, and his mouth went dry. "They can't see it from the ridge. They're headed to the main house. Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen."

"Come on, we have to help them!" Luke sprang up from where he was hidden and started shoving the couch out of the way.

Ani slung the rifle over his shoulder and moved to help, but he didn't rush, and he kept his voice calm. "We can't just rush off."

"Do you hear them, Anakin?! There's a whole army out there and—who knows what—someone leading them who knows how to use the Force. The shields won't hold!"

"We need a plan. If we run into the middle of a fight, we're just going to get ourselves killed," Ani said.

"What kind of a plan?" asked Luke as they heaved the couch out of the way.  
"There's too many," said Ani as he strode through the kitchen and moved to lower the shields. "Maybe there's a way we can trick them off. Get them to go somewhere else."

"Uncle Owen says the only thing that ever puts the Sand People off are krayt dragons and sandstorms," said Luke.

"With the mood they're in and a Force using war leader, I don't think a few krayt dragon calls will do it. Probably just enrage them further. A sandstorm would do it, though. They can't go where they can't see," Ani replied. His hands moved quickly and decisively over the shield controls, and he ducked out of the house into the night.

"How are we going to _make_ a sandstorm?" Luke demanded, racing after him.

"If we can pick up rocks and each other with the Force, we ought to be able to move sand. Just have to move enough, fast enough to scare of the Sand People," Ani told him. "We'll have to Force run to make it up there ahead of them, though. Can you make it?"

"It's not that far. I can do it—but Anakin, what if the adept isn't scared off? What if he senses us?" Luke asked.

"We'll deal with that when it happens. Just—if I tell you to run, Luke, you do it. Understand me?"

"I'm not going to leave you alone!"

"We don't have time to argue. Somebody has to get to Mom and Dad if there's trouble with a Force adept. I need you to do what I say," Ani insisted.

Before Luke could protest any further, Ani drew the Force into himself and ran. Life surged through him, bright and hot, exhilarating even in the midst of the danger they were facing. It fed his muscles and nerves, propelling him over the desert floor. The wind of his passage sprayed sand all around him, and he had to lower his head to keep the particles from stinging his nose and eyes. At first he could hear and feel Luke behind him. He felt a twinge of guilt about the sand he must have been kicking up in his wake. Then he pulled ahead and Luke became a distant rhythm in the desert floor.

The Lars farm had three ranges, wide desert basins surrounded by thick ridges of stone and sand. Vaporators were scattered over basins in deeper, man-made pits, where the lower altitude and the shade provided by the ridges helped cool the desert air and allow them to collect more trace moisture. The Kenobis lived at the far end of the south range. Beru and Owen's home was on the other end of the property, and the Sand People were coming up from the southwest. The boys knew all the shortest routes to the main house and circled around the advancing army to cut them off just beyond the rim of the Lars' living pit.

Ani reached it first, and open to the Force as he was, he could see the advancing cloud of dust and sand that the Tusken army was kicking up. He felt his body begin to shake and drew in a deep breath. Luke wasn't far behind him, but he couldn't wait. They would only have a few minutes.  
With the Lars' house shields up, they wouldn't be able to move any closer or hide in the pit. They'd need shelter from the storm and he could only think of one thing to do. He dropped down to the sand, set his rifle down, and began to dig, using the Force to augment his strength and speed as he scooped out a shallow ditch.

Luke caught up with him and paused for a second, but he didn't waste time asking for an explanation. Once he caught his breath, he dropped to his knees and helped. They worked until they had a trench just deep enough for them to kneel in side by side. Then they crawled into it, and Ani tore a couple of strips from the end of his cloak. He gave one to Luke, then covered his mouth and nose with the other and gestured for Luke to crouch low with his face toward the sand.

"What are we doing?" Luke finally asked in a muffled whisper.

"If they see anything, they'll just think we're a couple of rocks sticking up. We can try to keep the storm in front of us, but if we get buried, we should have enough air here to dig ourselves back out. If anything goes wrong, slow your breathing and heart rate, and _don't panic._."

"Oh, that sounds easy, Anakin…"

"You can do it, Luke. We've done harder things in survival practice. I promise I'll get us out of this. Help me now," Ani said as he reached for his brother's hand.

Ani's Force talents centered on emotion and awareness of the Living Force. He had strong empathic gifts, but he had trouble with physical tasks like moving or lifting things for more than a few moments. If they'd had to Force run through the open desert, he would have had to move in short spurts too. Luke could manipulate objects for longer spans of time, but he usually lacked the concentration and focus to do it. If they were going to make this work, they would have to do it together.

Their minds touched in the same instant as their fingers locked together, and Ani felt Luke open himself up to the Force. Fear pumped through him with each beat of his heart, but it quieted when he felt the touch of his brother's mind. The drew in deep breaths and let them out again, conscious of, but trying not to focus on the Tusken war party closing its distance.  
First they reached for the piles of sand that they'd just dug up. They'd already touched it, so it was easier to find in the Force and get it moving. Luke swirled the sand into the air, calling it into a funnel, which Ani tightened and helped steer in front of them as the Tusken Raiders came on. They let the sandswirl build and pull more debris into itself until the air around them was thick with grit and they were coughing heavily even through the coverings on their faces.

The rage and bloodlust Ani felt from the Tuskens shattered into surprise and then snapped back at them as fear and awe that quickly spread into panic. They scattered, but the strange Force adept wasn't so easily deterred. Ani felt his mind calling out like a clear, sharp note from a bronze instrument, drawing them back and calming them all without uttering a word. They didn't seem sensitive enough to hear his voice in the Force, but his will was enough to hold them. He knew this was no sandswirl, and he reached into the Force with far more power than either of the brothers, willing the storm to pass.

_Ani, I can't keep going…_ Luke warned.

_Hang on, just a few more minutes,_ Ani urged.

He pressed forward with his own mind, trying to escalate the Sand People's fear and make them afraid enough to scatter. The stranger pushed back against him, and although Ani could feel a terrible tension rising in the Tuskens, he couldn't break through the influence that the man had on them. The sandstorm started to break apart.

_Anakin…_

Desperate, Ani reached back into his own heart and grasped at the fear there—the old terror, sunset, the screams and the blood and the echoes of his own feet pounding through ancient hallways full of death, away from one darkness and into another. He dredged up the Dark Man and the red blade from his nightmares and let death slice through the desert night. He flung the image and the raw, bleeding emotion into the Force and pushed them forward, sending them into the whirlwind that Luke was still holding together. The two horrors merged and grew in the group-mind of the Tusken war party, and the Kenobi brothers pushed harder. Their sandstorm grew again, and it came alive for the Tuskens—a terrible desert spirit that inhabited the sands and guarded the place they were trying to enter. Finally, Ani felt their ranks break apart and they scattered into the night.

He began to shiver, trying to force the old memories back where he kept them. He didn't have time to fall apart now. He released Luke's hand, and the storm died away. Sand rained down over them, and he felt Luke move backward. A hand grasped the back of his cloak and pulled him out of the ditch. He knew it was Luke, but he could barely see or sense anything.  
The dust slowly settled, and a tall figure strode out of it. He looked more like a desert spirit than Ani could imagine their sandstorm being. He fumbled for Qui-Gon's lightsaber, still coughing, but Luke stepped in front of him. He was so shaken that he didn't notice the blaster rifle in Luke's hands until a red beam lit up the night. It barely missed the stranger's right ear.

"Take another step, and I won't miss," Luke said.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, I know I promised an update in six weeks, and it's been closer to six months. I've had tendinitis since the summer that has become chronic, and I'm writing with a text-to-speech program now. It takes a lot longer, and the chapters really need a lot of editing/beta work before I can get them up.

I also don't write things in chronological order, and I have large chunks of the story that need missing pieces filled in before I post them. Just wanted to let you know that I am still here and still working.

* * *

Padme knew something was wrong. The feeling had been growing in her stomach – an inexplicable tightening of muscles, coldness, dread. She had tried to ignore it, tried to tell herself that it wasn't serious, that it wasn't the Force, because if it had been then Obi Wan would have sensed it first. She was just being a mother. Just worrying about her children, alone in the desert. Ani was almost 18 now. She knew he could take care of himself, and she trusted him to take care of Luke, but the desert…the desert was a dangerous place.

"Obi Wan."

"We have to turn around," he said in the same instant.

She sucked in a sharp, involuntary breath. Her hands began to shake, and she had to press her eyes closed tightly against sudden tears. A second later, she felt her husband's hand come to rest on her wrist.

She didn't speak. Neither of them did. She felt the speeder slow down and curve into a turn. Obi Wan's hand on the controls was steady, and the vehicle moved with the same smooth grace and precision that it always did when he drove. It was like an extension of himself then, and nothing rattled him.

"Go faster," she instructed.

"I am."

He accelerated, so fast and so suddenly that the inertia forced her body back against the seat. She kept her eyes closed and gripped the armrest, digging her fingernails into the upholstery. Her fingernails weren't like they used to be. They weren't long and shapely, manicured and painted with white polish. She tried to keep them trimmed but they were often ragged from hard work. She could still use them now, to tear into the synthetic material covering the speeder seat, to expend some of the restless energy that was building up inside of her. The speeder began to shimmy. Obi Wan was forcing it well beyond its standard safety limits, probably holding it together himself with the Force.

"Can you get it to move any faster?" she asked.

"Not without endangering you."

"I don't care about that. We have to get back to the boys."

"I care."

"Obi Wan –"

"We can't help them if we get ourselves killed, Padme."

He was right. She knew he was right. Her fingers dug in further. She didn't care. Her boys were alone in the house, and they were afraid. The fear and distress she felt began to compound, to get hotter, to feel more wild and confused.

"Close your eyes," he told her.

"What?"

"Close your eyes," he repeated. "Clear your mind. Let your fear and frustration go. Don't try to force them away, but don't hold onto them either. Just acknowledge them and then stop thinking about it. Don't focus your attention there. Focus on stretching outward with your thoughts and feelings."

"What are you talking about?" she asked incredulously.

"I want you to stretch out and try to reach the boys."

"Can't you do it?"

"Not if you want me to drive this fast. You need something to do. You need to feel like you can help or at least know what is happening to them. I know you do."

She sighed and nodded. He was right again. She forced her fingers to uncurl from the armrest, flexed them a little, and touched his hand. He glanced at her and offered a small smile.

She closed her eyes, took a few slow breaths, and waited until her feeling settled. Then she reached out carefully. It wasn't natural and easy the way it was for him. She had to consciously find the balance between thinking about what she was doing enough to direct her thoughts and feelings, but not so much that she sabotaged herself. She had done it enough to understand how, but she wasn't in the habit of using the Force the way that Obi Wan was.

She reached out slowly, focusing on the children and their needs so that her own wouldn't overwhelm her. It was them and their feelings that guided her forward through the dark desert and its black sky full of cold, icy pinprick stars. She wended her way through, following their feelings until she felt her mind brush up against-

"Leia!"

"What?!"

She opened her eyes, and her husband's gaze darted off the road to meet hers for an instant. He looked back where he was driving very quickly, and she ran her hand over her face. She felt tears threatening to fall again, and she fought to keep them back. This was just not the time for her to break down.

"I was thinking about the children. I was trying to focus on them so I could find the boys. Suddenly, I realized that something was wrong with her too."

"She's probably reacting to what's happening to Luke. He's done that before. He's known when something was upsetting her," said Obi Wan.

"Are you sure? What if that isn't it? What if something is wrong on Alderaan?"

"Then there's nothing we can do for her, darling. She has Bail and Breha there to protect her. We have to trust them."

"Do – do you think it's Vader?"

Obi Wan thought for a few seconds, then he shook his head. "He's not here. I would know if he was here. Besides he would've had to come from the spaceport, and that would've put him right in our path before he reached the children.

"He could be on Alderaan. That could be what's wrong, and the boys could be reacting to Leia instead of her reacting to them."

"It's possible, but I don't think so. No…no, it's something in the desert. The boys' feelings are too strong. They're afraid and angry. Luke is very angry."

"Has something happened to Ani?"

"I don't know, Padme. I think it's best not to speculate. It won't help us. It won't help the children. We need to be thinking of a plan."

"What kind of a plan? We don't know what's going on. How can we come up with a plan?"

"Ani is almost a Jedi Knight. His training is complete except for the Trials. Luke is… well, solid in his study of the Jedi Arts. There isn't much that could frighten them this much. We can come up with options," Obi Wan said.

"If Luke is angry more than he is frightened, then it stands to reason that the boys are still together. He probably wouldn't start to get really scared unless he was alone. He wouldn't think about how dangerous the situation could be if Ani was right there."

Obi Wan nodded in agreement. "All right, so what do we know of, except for Vader, which would cause a reaction like this from them strong enough that we could feel it all away out here?"

"Jedi hunters, but I don't think that's likely. If Vader had any idea that you were here, he would want to come for you himself. He would probably want to make sure that I wasn't with you, and he would want to finish you himself. He wouldn't send someone else, " said Padme.

She couldn't believe that she was saying these things. She couldn't believe where she was, or who she was talking about. Most of all, she couldn't believe how easily the words had come out of her mouth. When had she started thinking like this? When had she actually accepted the reality that Anakin – their Anakin – had become this thing, this monster Darth Vader, that he meant to kill her husband, her best friend, the man who had been father and brother and teacher to him for half his life?

"Jedi hunters are still a possibility," Obi Wan said. "If the Emperor had discovered my whereabouts, or discovered that you or the children were with me, he might want to handle it without telling Vader."

"Why? Do you think Palpatine realizes that Vader saved Ani in the temple?"

"I hope not, but we can't discount the possibility."

"All right. Do you think they would try to fight?"

"We've cautioned them against it. I think Ani's first instinct would be to protect Luke, and he knows that if I'm not there, he needs to stay alive and stay together in order to do that. He'd try to run, and they'd head this way. They would head for the spaceport and try to get from there to Alderaan. So, if that's what's happening, we should meet up with them," Obi Wan said.

"Let's hope so. What else?"

"A sandstorm, if it was big enough to clog the shield generator," he suggested.

"I don't see Luke being angry in that case, unless something happened to Ani. If that's it, then there really is nothing we can do except to focus on getting there and staying under cover until the storm passes, if it hasn't already by the time we get home."

"You're right. It might be the Sand People."

"If it's the Sand People, it has to be more than a simple raiding party. The boys just boosted our shield output. They were proud of themselves. They would stay inside, behind the shield and see how it worked if Raiders attacked the farm," Padme said.

"They've been very aggressive lately. They seem more organized too, more cohesive. I still didn't think they were a serious enough threat to warrant us missing our contact, but maybe I was wrong," sighed Obi Wan.

"Do you think they're amassing more than just raiding parties? War parties? An army? Oh, Obi Wan…"

"It's possible. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, darling. I know you're upset. I am too. Ani has that blaster that Owen gave him, and Qui-Gon's lightsaber if all else fails him. He would know better than to try to stand and fight in a situation like that. If he thought the shields wouldn't hold, he would try to get to Beru and Owen's."

Padme closed her eyes. That's exactly what he would do. Except, the house was hidden behind a ridge. If the Tuskens attacked, they would see Beru and Owen's house first. If the boys were trying to get there, they would be walking straight into the battle zone. She reached for Obi Wan's arm, and as her fingers tightened around it, she knew that he was thinking the same thing.

"All right," he said quietly. "If we don't run into them somewhere on the way, we can circle around the farm and come up on our place from behind the ridge. That way we'll be able to see if there's been any trouble at Beru and Owen's first and we'll be hidden from sight if there's a problem at our place."

Padme swallowed once and nodded. She looked out at the desert, but she couldn't see much, just shadows that passed by in a blur. They were moving so fast, but still not fast enough. She wondered if this was how he had felt after his clone troops betrayed him on Utapau, when all he wanted to do was get back to her and Ani, but he'd been forced to wait. There had been no one to help him until Bail's message came – no one to tell him whether his family was alive or dead.

"Qui-Gon!" she exclaimed, seizing on the idea of the Jedi Spirit in desperation. "Can he help them?"

"I don't know…"

"I can't interfere, Padme. I can't affect things directly, and I can't instruct Ani now," said the sad, disembodied voice of Qui-Gon Jinn.

She gasped softly and jumped at the unexpected reply. Then she gritted her teeth to quell the urge to snap at him. He had interfered well enough when Ani was a boy, teaching him to use the Force before either of his parents knew about it or had decided whether or not he should be trained. She supposed that he had never done anything physical, but didn't he still have a responsibility to help his students?

"Can't you do anything for them?"

"I wish I could. Obi Wan just said it himself. Ani is a Jedi Knight now in everything except for having faced his Trials of Knighthood."

"So that means you just abandon him?"

"No, it means that I don't know precisely what the Force has in mind here, and I've already taught Ani everything I have of value to him right now," said Qui-Gon.

"You are one with the Force, but you don't know what it has in mind?"

"I'm not omniscient. Your children are creating something entirely new. Their destinies are linked to their history, but they have to learn from it and learn to grow in the same way that you and Obi Wan did when you learned what it meant to be Jedi and family together, when you learned to create your Kenobi way. Ani knows what that is better than I do, " said Qui Gon.

"Ani is just a boy!" Padme objected.

"No, darling," Obi Wan shook his head. "He isn't a boy any longer."

"Well, Luke certainly is! Why should he be put in danger like this?"

Qui-Gon sighed, "He shouldn't. But you can't shield him forever. The galaxy is a dangerous place."

"I know that. I'm not trying to shield him from normal experiences. I just don't want my son in the path of a Tusken war party," said Padme.

"It's too late to stop that now," Qui-Gon told her. "I… I will go and watch over them, but I cannot interfere in any way. I won't even be able to let them know I'm there."

_Then what good are you?_ Padme thought. She knew it would hurt Obi Wan, so she clenched her teeth, and made sure that the words did not pass her lips. He would probably know what she was thinking anyway, but she couldn't help that. She couldn't help how she felt – all she could do was keep silent for his sake and hope that they reached their children in time.

"Padme, I can't allow them rely on me too much. I can't become a crutch for them, or for you, and it is right for me to become so entwined with their choices that they won't be able to make important decisions on their own when the time comes."

"All right Qui-Gon, thank you."


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys. Still have tendinitis and I'm writing with a text-to-speech program now. It takes a lot longer, and the chapters really need a lot of editing/beta work before I can get them up.

I also don't write things in chronological order, and I have large chunks of the story that need missing pieces filled in before I post them. Just wanted to let you know that I am still here and still working.

For anybody wondering, I realize there's an accepted fanon thing for "Jaina" to be the name of Han Solo's mother. That's not what we're doing with this story. This Jaina is an OC created to be Leia and Winter's bodyguard.

* * *

"Leia? Leia?"

The sound of Winter's voice finally penetrated, and Leia realized that her sister had been calling her for several minutes. She turned away from the window where she had been watching the rain fall, and saw Winter standing in the doorway between their bedrooms with a deep frown etched on her brow. Leia straightened her shoulders, smoothed her hands over her hair to tame the fly aways that had come out of her braids, and adjusted her dress.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you," she said with a forced smile.

"We're late for practice. What's the matter? Something's been bothering you all afternoon," Winter said.

"I…" Leia let out a frustrated breath and shook her head. "I don't even know! I just know something's wrong. It's getting worse, and I don't even know what it is. I hate feeling like this!"

This wasn't the first time that Leia had bad feelings that wouldn't go away but had no explanation. She didn't like it. It made her feel crazy. She couldn't ignore it either, not this time. Sometimes, her bad feelings meant something that was about to happen.

It had all started a couple of years ago, right before some scaffolding came loose in one of the palace courtyards. The area were being renovated, and the girls had been cautioned to stay away, but they'd wanted to see the work for themselves. She had grabbed Winter's hand and pulled the other girl out of the way, but afterward both of them have been shaken, and Leia never knew how she had been able to tell the scaffolding was loose.

Shortly after that, their father had assigned them a new bodyguard, a woman named Jaina Moran. Bail said he thought the scaffolding had been a simple accident, and at 12 years old, the girls knew enough about court intrigue that Bail would've told the truth if there had been any suspicion of foul play. Leia knew there was _something _about the woman, though – some reason why Bail had specifically chosen her and something about the timing of the assignment.

Most of the time, her bad feelings were more vague. Nothing suspicious or ominous came of them, but something was wrong somewhere and she knew it." That was how it was today, and it had been getting worse for the last hour or so.

Winter slipped into the room and put her hand on Leia's arm. Leia felt her muscles begin to relax. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"What do you want to do?" Winter asked. Her green eyes were dark with concern, but her voice was soft and soothing to Leia. Somehow, Winter always calmed her down. She should have tried to talk to her sister before now. They usually spend their free time in the afternoons together, either walking out by or in the sitting room in their suite. Today Leia shut herself up in the bedroom, and that was probably why Winter knew something was wrong.

She took another breath and replied, "Jaina said that the next time anything like this happened, we should tell her or Father."

Winter nodded once and moved across the room to get something from Leia's closet. Her feet barely made any noise as she walked across the carpet. She didn't glide the way that some of the women at court did – although she could do that when she wanted to – she just walked without making any noise. It was something that always struck Leia, even if she was upset or troubled. She couldn't help but stop and notice.

Winter picked out a light red jacket with a wide hood that would keep Leia dry in the rain. She handed it to Leia, then waited while she put it on. Leia smiled a little despite herself. She wouldn't have thought about a jacket, much less picked out one with a hood like that without having to stop and think about it at all.

"What?"

"Nothing," Leia shook her head. She linked her arm through Winter's, and the two girls started out of the room.

They hadn't even reached the hallway yet when they heard familiar, brisk booted footsteps moving toward them from an adjacent corridor. That would be Jaina. The girls exchanged nervous glances, but Leia thought that the bodyguard's steps seemed more anxious or worried than angry. Maybe they wouldn't be in trouble.

They crossed the threshold and waited there as Jaina approached.The tall dark-haired woman was dressed in a plain gray tunic and pants with dark boots. Her long hair was braided back from her face in a simple style. There was nothing to identify her as a bodyguard to the royal princesses of Alderaan, but her bearing was both graceful and precise. It wasn't like a commoner's, but it wasn't really like the members of court or anyone else that Leia had known before… except it always seemed familiar to her somehow.

Jaina didn't look visibly upset, but Leia noticed her relax when she saw the two girls. Then as she got closer to them, her eyes narrowed with concern. She didn't say anything but moved her chin to indicate that the girls should go back into the bedroom. They obeyed, and she followed them, waiting her hand at the door sensor to ensure their privacy.

When the door was sealed, she rested her hand on Leia's shoulder, and asked quietly, "What's the matter, Princess?"

"I don't know!" repeated Leia. Her hands curled into fists as she felt all of her frustration and worry rushing back.

Winter's arm was still linked with hers, and the other girl touched her fist to smooth the fingers open and then clasped her hand. Jaina gave Leia's shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"All right. How long has something been wrong?"

"For a while. Most of the day but more this afternoon. It's been bad for the last hour or so. Really bad. Jaina, what is happening? Why do I feel this way?" Leia demanded.

Jaina looked into Leia's eyes for a long moment. Leia could tell that she knew the answer and that she was weighing what she would say. Watching her, Leia could almost feel the pressure and heaviness in the woman's mind, the conflicting thoughts and wants that passed through her.

Leia knew that Jaina would not lie to her but she could see that the woman wasn't sure what she should say. It was like when the adults talked about certain things that happened on Alderaan and weren't sure how much the princesses were supposed to be told.

Yet it seemed different too. The secret was different – maybe Leia wasn't supposed to know anything at all. That might put Jaina in an awful position, Leia realized. She didn't want to do that, but she _had_ to know what was going on.

Finally Jaina said, "It's a kind of intuition, Princess. A special kind of intuition that some people have. It makes them sensitive to... Things around them. Sometimes they know things that most people aren't aware of, and sometimes they have feelings that whisper to them. That's how you knew to pull Winter out of the way that time when the scaffold fell."

"How –?"

"I can't say more than that, Princess Leia. You might be in danger if I said any more."

"Danger?" Winter interjected. "What kind of danger could we be in just from knowing what's happening to Leia? How can we find out what the matter is?"

"You can't," Jaina said. She turned to look at Winter and didn't speak for several seconds. Then she told the girls, "You could be in very grave danger. I will try to find out more, and if there's any immediate danger or problem for either of you or for your parents, I promise you I will tell you. You must promise to wait for me to investigate before you try to do anything on your own."

Leia and Winter looked at each other. Leia didn't want to promise, and she could tell that Winter really didn't either. Once they promised, they would have to wait, no matter how long it took Jaina to find something and no matter what happened in the meantime. She knew that they probably wouldn't be told the whole truth, although she knew that Jaina would tell them as much a she was allowed to.

What she really wanted to know was why her parents couldn't tell her… Whatever it is they weren't telling her. Bail and Breha never directly lied to them, and they didn't really keep secrets from the girls. Both of them knew that they were adopted, even though Winter had been a baby when she came to the Organas,and they could have just told her that she was there natural born child. Since their parents didn't lie to them, Leia had to assume that whatever it is they weren't talking about was serious enough to get them into trouble. She didn't want to do that any more than she wanted to get Jaina into trouble, but sooner or later she was going to have to know. She couldn't keep having these things happen to her – feeling these things for no reason.

"Princess Leia," Jaina called her out of her thoughts. The woman's voice was calm and respectful but there was a clear note of expectation in it. She was waiting for a promise and she wasn't going to let the girls get away with avoiding one.

Leia raised her eyebrows toward Winter and tilted her head slightly to one side, silently asking Winter's opinion in the matter. Winter's brow furrowed deeply, and then she sighed and nodded.

"We promise, Jaina," Winter said. "We won't do anything to try to find out more until you tell us what you learn."

"Very well. And you won't go off by yourselves or play the doubles game while I'm investigating, will you?"

"No," sighed Winter.

Jaina nodded and touched the braids on top of both their heads lightly

"I'm going to speak with the Viceroy. I may have to leave tonight if there is something serious going on, but I won't be gone long. Your promise is binding to my assistants as well as to me, don't forget."

"We won't," Winter said, rubbing her eyes with the tips of her fingers.

Jaina allowed a small smile to touch her lips before she walked toward the door.

"Jaina!" Leia cried, filled with sudden apprehension. "You will come back won't you? You won't get into any trouble?"

Jaina's eyes widened in an uncharacteristic show of surprise. Her smile softened and she came back to brush Leia's cheek with her calloused fingertips. Her hand moved to smooth Winter's white hair, and then she stood back a little bit to look at them both.

"That isn't something I ever promise. Sometimes people go away, and they don't come back, but I won't leave you alone, and I'll do my best to get back as quickly as I can."

Leia squared her shoulders and nodded. She swallowed once, but kept her expression calm and made sure there were no tears in her eyes. Jaina watched her for a second then turned and walked out of the room.


End file.
